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Supercharger - Macquarie Park, NSW
- Thread starter Chuq
- Start date
Shock-On-T
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shanelord
Member
Hi all,
I’ve had the chance to talk to the AMP/Macquarie Centre team behind the agreement and planning with Tesla during the build of this.
I discussed with them the differences between AC and DC (super)charging and how for “local” people visiting the centre for any more than a coffee, supercharging isn’t ideal, but is great for getting people from out of town who’d normally never visit to experience the centre.
We then discussed the possibility of adding in some further destination chargers and alternates like chargefox chargers (they’re not sure yet) aka broadway. They are considering this - especially as I pointed out destination chargers are better for people coming for 2+ hours (ie dinner, movies etc) and would only cost them a few dollars an hour “per plugged in car” of power - easily recouped by people shopping/dining etc.
Also: They did say they proactively contacted Chargepoint before they moved the charger to the back wall (to ensure all ok) and no one responded and still haven’t (they moved it anyway), so they’re not enamoured with Chargepoint at the moment.
Lastly - they will be putting supercharger signs around the car park soon to assist people finding it. The main two entrances off Talavera are “easy-ish”, they’re more concerned about people coming from the rabbits warren that is the rest of their car park.
I’m hoping to catch up with them again soon to continue discussion.
Thanks,
Shane.
I’ve had the chance to talk to the AMP/Macquarie Centre team behind the agreement and planning with Tesla during the build of this.
I discussed with them the differences between AC and DC (super)charging and how for “local” people visiting the centre for any more than a coffee, supercharging isn’t ideal, but is great for getting people from out of town who’d normally never visit to experience the centre.
We then discussed the possibility of adding in some further destination chargers and alternates like chargefox chargers (they’re not sure yet) aka broadway. They are considering this - especially as I pointed out destination chargers are better for people coming for 2+ hours (ie dinner, movies etc) and would only cost them a few dollars an hour “per plugged in car” of power - easily recouped by people shopping/dining etc.
Also: They did say they proactively contacted Chargepoint before they moved the charger to the back wall (to ensure all ok) and no one responded and still haven’t (they moved it anyway), so they’re not enamoured with Chargepoint at the moment.
Lastly - they will be putting supercharger signs around the car park soon to assist people finding it. The main two entrances off Talavera are “easy-ish”, they’re more concerned about people coming from the rabbits warren that is the rest of their car park.
I’m hoping to catch up with them again soon to continue discussion.
Thanks,
Shane.
Shock-On-T
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Just FYI:
This car park has number plate recognition and will charge for 2nd visit in a single day, even if the first visit is less than 3 hrs.
This car park has number plate recognition and will charge for 2nd visit in a single day, even if the first visit is less than 3 hrs.
I suspect the Tesla navigation will send people to the Talavera entrances. The direct one shown on the Tom's ludicrous feed vlog from the south,
Or the right hand turn opp Alma for those coming from the north/Herring Rd M2 exit, with the ramp brings you out the level below.
Agree Chargepoint seems to be getting outdone by Chargefox these days, particularly with the support from the motoring organisations.
Indeed I suspect many EV (and most Tesla owners - those with S/X or a large amount of referral credits will be in the minority) won't mind paying a fair price for the electricity - as long as it's a bit cheaper than the SCs and 11-22kW
I quite like the variable rate at this station in Double Bay (which seemingly reflects TOU tariffs)
PlugShare - Find Electric Vehicle Charging Locations Near You
Though with all the solar capacity Macquarie Centre has maybe they could offer free charging in daylight hours.
This. After my Broadway experience, I doubt I’ll ever supercharge again unless I’m road-tripping. It’s too quick and the risk of idle fees is anxiety-provoking. For a 2-3 hour stay, AC is fine in most cases.
Same as Broadway. At Macquarie, can you move your car to a general, non-SC spot, without exiting the car park? At Broadway that’s impossible - all the non-Tesla spots are for AC-charging, handicapped parking, or the car wash, and the only way is out. You have to re-enter to park in a general parking space, and then explain that to the remote attendant when you try to exit again without incurring the $7 re-entry fee.
Great to hear! EV charging is quite mystery to those and you've provided them with a lot of good info there. There are a couple of places where Chargefox has installed 10-12 Type 2 socket charging bays which might be a model they could use.
shanelord
Member
I believe you only get charged if you leave the centre and re-enter again within 1 hour. **
I think this means you can have multiple 3 hour free visits per day, just need a minimum of 1 hour between visits. Also after 7pm parking is free. Their aim was to stop office workers exiting/re-entering their car every 2.5 hours to get free parking all day.
Note - the carpark is also 24 hours - so those needing to supercharge can do so any time of the day or night. Toilets aren't accessible outside of centre hours though.
** See their FAQ here and relevant section below.
Thanks,
Shane.
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shanelord
Member
Just to clarify - my statement above re cost per hour was to the AMP/Macquarie Centre team - they don't intend to charge customers for AC charging at the moment (nor likely ever) as their (AMP/Macquarie) cost to provide the service is minimal (as stated, a few dollars per hour per car).
Thanks,
Shane.
Fair enough (and I hope it remains free as a competitive tool to attract shoppers).
Model 3 at 11kW (capped by the onboard charger) at say 25c/kWh is about 60c/hr
But think forward a few years.
You've got 100 Destination Chargers (probably cost $300k just to install them, maybe more with power upgrades) and suddenly that few $s a car is costing you $200k in electricity per year (assuming 10hrs usage a day)
baillies
Member
I have reentered several times inside (and outside) an hour but not stayed more than three hours total in a day and I have not been charged for this.
edit: I think it was also uni students taking advantage of a free hour to exit and re-enter.
I have not tried staying more than 3 hours in a day, I have parked on nearby streets if I had to come back twice.
I have been wondering what the economics are. I think unless it is a dedicated commuter car park, the shopping centre can prise money out of you faster than you can get electricity out of them - esp if they start charging for parking after the first couple of hours.
raynewman
Active Member
Compare it to the WiFi pricing when it first came out - no one was going to give that away...
Unlike WiFi bandwidth though, I can't see the price of electricity decreasing substantially over time.
raynewman
Active Member
Depends how much solar, wind etc is used and that magic x factor that comes out of left field.
If it's charging at 11Kw then in an hour it will use 11KwH and @ $0.25/KwH = $2.75/hr
Good point. Was thinking Amps for some reason.
So makes my example of 100 chargers for 10hrs a day worse. Probably closer to $1m in electricity charges.
